SUREÑOTHE OPPOSITE
HOUSE
Dear
Cherry,
I first went to THE OPPOSITE HOUSE boutique
hotel, a Swire Hotel property, in Beijing in 2009 to do a review of SUREÑO, then a Mediterranean restaurant with an Italian Chef, and I have
always been satisfied with the restaurant and itshappy service team. Recently, I was invited by the hotel
Sommelier, Ashley Gao, to return to SUREÑO to
experience an adjustment to the restaurant’s concept and a totally new menu
designed by their new Chef De Cuisine, Talib Hudda. I was excited to renew my
experience with this fine restaurant and we arranged an evening for me to
perform a review. I arrived early and went to MESH, a lively bar just opposite
the main lobby check-in area, and I enjoyed a nicely made and well-chilled
Martini while I waited to meet with Ashley before dinner. When she arrived, we
had a nice conversation about the plans for my evening and we talked with
Blanche Yan,Communication Executive, about official photos required for my
article. Upon finishing my Martini, we
proceeded to the elevator to go down 1 floor to SUREÑO. We
walked past the familiar open kitchen to the back of the main dining room to a
nice table overlooking most of the restaurant.
I was happy with this location and I got settled and prepared for
writing while Ashley opened a bottle of 1421 Gold Chardonnay from Xinjiang
Province, China, and poured a glass for me. After a brief talk about the timing
of the dinner servings Ashley left for another meeting. Kevin Mau, Operations
Manager, introduced himself to me and brought my first serving, which was
Grilled Flat Bread with Hummus, Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil & Sea Salt.
Served
on a wooden board were 8 triangular slices of grilled flat bread and a sea
green colored ceramic plate coated 2/3 of its surface with hummus with a
sprinkling of ground herbs and 3 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley. The flat
bread was firm but slightly moist, not dried out. The hummus was smooth and
full flavored with the garlic and olive oil. I dipped the bread in the hummus
and really enjoyed the rich garlic flavor in the hummus and I rather quickly
consumed the bread and hummus alternating with sips of the cool and fruity
Chardonnay.This was a very nice way to start my dinner! Chef Talib created a
tasting menu called Winter Tasting 2017 with 6 servings of food, and the option
of selecting 6 wine pairings at additional cost. Kevin brought a surprise snack for me, not
listed on the menu, Parma Ham Croquette with Shaved Black Truffle & Lemon
Aioli.The croquette was a ball sitting in the aioli sauce with ample truffle
shavings shredded on top and on the plate around the croquette. I cut the ball
in half with my fork and tried half of it.
It was hot inside with chunks of ham and a little crispy on the outside.
It tasted good with the shredded black truffle and the aioli sauce added more
flavor. This was a nice surprise opener to the menu yet to come and I enjoyed
the Chardonnay with it. My first course from the menu was Smoked Salmon
Carpaccio – Salsa Juverte, Radicchio, Candied Black Olive & Squid Ink Rice
Cracker. This actually looked like a salad, with thin slices of smoked salmon
under a mixture of the other ingredients with endive and radicchio on top with
a little foam and a garnish of watercress. The black squid ink rice crackers
added color and texture and the different greens added their unique
flavors. Kevin told me that the salmon
was special Aqua Select Sustainable Salmon from Chengdu. I decided to approach this complex
arrangement of tasty ingredients by taking each bite as a mixture because that
is what I felt was the intention of the Chef.
Each ingredient had its place in the flavor mix. The smoked salmon base
was tender, smooth, and well flavored.I liked combining the rice cakes with the
salmon for a marked contrast in textures, but with complimentary flavors. The Chardonnay was good with this dish, the
complexity of the wine handling the complexity of flavors in the mix.
My next course was Tamarind Torchon – Campari
& Malt Whisky marinated Foie Gras Torchon, Cashew & Crispy Couscous,
Tamarind Purée, and Flaxseed Cumin Cracker.Reading it on the
menu sounded interesting and when it arrived I was impressed with the beautiful
presentation. The tamarind purée was used to make tamarind leather by brushing
it on a smooth sheet of stainless steel and letting it air dry, leaving a layer
of dehydrated tamarind purée. This was cut into a strip of what looked
like reddish-brown leather and arranged with a few wrinkles at the top of the
round disc of sliced foie gras on the dark grey ceramic plate. To the left of
the disc of foie gras was a dollop on tamarind purée that
was not air-dried and sprinkled on the lower part of the disc of foie gras were
chopped cashews and crispy couscous.
Served in a separate oval shaped wooden bowl were the freshly made fried
flaxseed cumin crackers. This was a fascinating display of ingredients that
left me intrigued with how it would taste. I started by tasting the dollop of
tamarind purée, which was sweet and went well with the
crispy couscous and chopped cashew nuts so I spread this combination all over
the foie gras and tried it together. WOW, what an interesting combination of
flavors! The sweetness of the tamarind
purée was great with the foie gras and I loved the
crunchy couscous and cashews with it. The foie gras was smooth and richly
flavored and the marinade of Campari and malt whisky brought out the sweetness
in the foie gras. I tried a crispy flaxseed cumin cracker after the foie gras
for different sensations of texture and flavor and then I tasted the tamarind
leather. It looked like leather, but it didn’t taste like leather. It was chewy
and sweet and I finished it with the last flaxseed cumin cracker.This was so
unique…it was fun!
I
enjoyed a nice glass of the Chardonnay while reflecting on this exquisite dish
and waited for my next course, Fassolatha & Caviar – Poached Egg, Fava
Beans, Cumin Butter, Charred Avocado & No.1Baerii Caviar. Chef Talib explained the composition of this
dish to me. White bean purée mixed with raw olive oil was on the bottom with a poached egg
placed above, topped with W3 caviar from Yunnan that is based on sturgeon
caviar from Russia. The feed for the fish is imported from Europe and the
producer is French. The poached egg and caviar was surrounded by a ring of fava
beans, charred avocado, and celery mixed with cumin butter.This combination
looked and smelled great and had rich flavors. The charred avocado was firm
around the edges with smoky flavors, while the cumin butter was very rich with
strong cumin flavor. The fava beans were lightly cooked and tender, but with
structure. Then I broke the egg and
mixed it all together. I ate it like a chunky egg soup with powerful cumin
flavor. This was another interesting dish with excellent flavors and textures.
My next
course was Smoked Chestnut Agnolotti – Parma Ham, Sage & Cream Sauce, and
Squid Ink Ash. For this, Kevin opened a bottle of 1421 Gold Cabernet Sauvignon
from Xinjiang Province, China. It was a medium bodied red wine, clean and
fruity with mild tannins. This is the only pasta dish Chef Talib makes, simple
and tasty. It smelled wonderful with
smoked sage, chestnut, and Parma ham. The squid ink ash, which I have never
seen before, looked like ground black pepper sprinkled liberally on top, but it
was flakey in texture like a finely ground herb for a very unique appearance
and taste. There were wide strips of pasta covered in the rich ingredients,
that when combined, made a creamy flavor packed pasta experience. It was even a
little sweet and the flavor of the Parma ham came through clearly and it was
perfect! I liked the easy drinking and
mildly spicy red wine with it and I lingered with the glass while I waited for
my next course.
Kevin brought Angus Beef Tenderloin &
Celery Root – Grilled Tenderloin, Celery Root, Cilantro & Tarragon Polenta.
The sliced tenderloin was sitting in a rich beef jus sauce with shaved celery
root about an inch wide and up to a foot long perched on top. It was a little
crunchy like carrots and the flavor was mild. The polenta was rich and creamy
with nice flavors from the cilantro and tarragon. I added a little sea salt and
ground tellicherry black pepper to the beef because that is the way I like it.
The polenta was great with the beef, which was tender and cooked medium as I
requested. This dish was a good, well-coordinated bunch of flavors and I
enjoyed it all with the dry fruity red wine.
My final course was Superfredo – Strawberry Semi-fredo, Chocolate Cake,
Balsamic Hazelnut Sauce & Berries. Chef Talib explained that this was made
with hazelnut praline and reduced Balsamic sauce under a flourless brownie made
with 64% valrhona chocolate. A strawberry meringue with whipped cream was then
frozen with liquid nitrogen for superfredo and put on top of the chocolate
brownie. Kevin delivered it with dry ice
smoking in the bottom of the bowl. It
looked like a coral reef in the ocean, but it quickly melted in my mouth with
good strawberry flavor. There were some fresh strawberries and raspberries
underneath and the brownie was rich in chocolate sensations. It was a great way to finish a fantastic
dessert that started out light and finished strong! I enjoyed the rest of the nice Cabernet
Sauvignon while talking with Chef Talib about my positive impressions of this
excellent dinner and I expressed my enthusiasm for his exquisite cuisine. I
have no doubt that his influence on the future of SUREÑO will
take this famous landmark restaurant to new heights in Beijing, and I look
forward to watching his progress and enjoying the fruits of his labor. I extend my sincere thanks to the excellent
culinary and service teams at SUREÑO for a
wonderful dining experience. See you
again soon!
CHEERS!!!
My
Best as Always,
Randy